Bloody Horizon
Allegiances Leader: Stonestar - a large gray tom with blue eyes. Deputies: Scalepelt - a tortoiseshell tom with green eyes. Cloudblaze - a fluffy gray tom with bright blue eyes. Medicine Cat: Rockclaw - a small gray tom with gray eyes. Senior Warriors: Reedtail - a brown tabby tom with blue eyes. Apprentice, Twigpaw Branchleg - a dark brown tabby tom with long legs and green eyes. Apprentice, Rockpaw Streamclaw - a silver she-cat with blue eyes. Apprentice, Dawnpaw Minnowtail - a scruffy-looking white and brown tabby she-cat with gray eyes. Apprentice, Robinpaw Stormclaw - a gray tom with blue eyes. Apprentice, Flurrypaw Featherpelt - a light gray tabby she-cat with fur that looks like feathers. Apprentice, Lilypaw Icefang - a white tom with a broken tooth and icy blue eyes. Apprentice, Mosspaw Bluepelt - a blue-gray tom with bright blue eyes. Apprentice, Redpaw Molefoot - a brown tom with big paws and brown eyes. Apprentice, Oakpaw Rivertail - a blue-gray tom with blue eyes. Apprentice, Creekpaw Shimmerpelt - a tortoiseshell she-cat with shiny fur and amber eyes. Warriors: Mistfur - a gray she-cat with a white belly and feet and amber eyes. Grassfur - a gray tom with green eyes. Gustfur - a light gray tom with ruffled fur and amber eyes. Acornfur - a brown tom with green eyes. Robinfur - a reddish tom with blue eyes. Weedfur - a long-furred gray tom with dark green eyes. Wetfur - a blue-gray she-cat with bright blue eyes. Logfur - a lazy brown tom with amber eyes. Dayfur - a golden-brown she-cat with blue eyes. Stonefur - a dark gray tom with thick, droopy fur and gray eyes. Brookfur - a blue-gray she-cat with green eyes. Apprentices: Creekpaw - a blue-gray tom with white feet and blue eyes. Flurrypaw - a speckled gray tom with blue eyes. Twigpaw - a thin brown tom with a short tail and green eyes. Dawnpaw - a golden-brown she cat with a white muzzle and blue eyes. Mosspaw - a gray tom with green eyes. Oakpaw - a brown tabby she-cat with dark amber eyes. Lilypaw - a reddish she-cat with amber eyes. Redpaw - a reddish tom with green eyes. Robinpaw - a reddish tom with blue eyes. Queens: Pebbletail - a gray she-cat with a white belly. Kits, Skykit (fluffy white she-cat) and Oceankit (blue-gray she-cat) Goldenfur - a golden-brown she-cat with amber eyes. Shellfur - gray-brown tabby she-cat with blue-green eyes. Elders: Dewstripe - a blue-gray tabby she-cat with green eyes. Former queen. Fallowfern - a light brown tabby she-cat with green eyes. Goosetail - a white tom with an unusually long tail and green eyes. Author's Note Clan Structure Let's get this started with the general idea. Part of this is based off of Firestar's new ideas, and part of this is on me. Kind of. The leader of a Clan is exactly the same. The deputy... or deputies, may I amend, are different. They do the same job and usually end up being really close. But when the leader dies, one must rise, and usually, this means death. Medicine cats are normal, too. Skipping to apprentices... they are told to learn both medicine and fighting skills, but they may choose which to be dominant in. Only one cat may be a medicine cat apprentice. They train for six moons. Apprentices are told to only assist cats in need, instead of diving into battle. When they are finished assisting, they must retreat and allow the warrior to receive the glory for winning (or losing) a fight. When the apprentices that are dominant in fighting skills become warriors, they are given the suffix fur to add to their name. They are warriors for an additional six moons, before becoming a senior warrior. They learn to attack on the offensive side. They are responsible for border patrols and hunting for the elders. Towards the end of their warriorship, they can begin to add prey to the main fresh-kill pile. When a warrior has proved himself (or herself) worthy, a ceremony will be used to change their name to something other than fur. They are then known as a senior warrior. Senior warriors are responsible for training apprentices, in addition to border patrols and hunting for the rest of the Clan. They are eligable to become a deputy after three moons of their new life. Elders are normal. Queens are normal. Except the only reason you can live in the nursery is if you're an expecting or nursing queen. Twist You know how in warriors, the prophecy is always mysterious and unpredictable, if it has any information at all contained in it? Yeah. The prophecy itself is the spoiler for this story. So I am NOT going to be revealing the prophecy (which was awesome and inspired by a song I like) until the coast is clear. Announcements Soon, two cats are going to have kits. I need names, the limit is eight total. Please refrain from giving me their full warrior names and descriptions, all I need is names. Thank you. Story Prologue :Breath was bated, but the waterfall still roared as the water crashed to the ground. :Cats with bright paws were sitting nearby, ears flattened as the mist wet their fur. :"Tell us what you heard," a large orange tom mewed eventually. :The silvery-gray tom who was sitting across from him nodded, and opened his mouth to speak. :The two she-cats sitting with them- one, wiry brown, and the other with a thick black coat- both snapped at the same time, "Hurry up!" :The silvery-gray tom gritted his teeth. "Why would you care? It's not your Clan." :When he spoke, like always, the ginger tom chose his words carefully. "We would like to help." :The black she-cat's shoulders were hunched, and her green eyes looked around, distrusting. :The gray tom spoke the words that had been troubling him for moons, and the other cats looked astonished in their own trademark ways. :"But... River..." the wiry brown she-cat murmured, "what will happen?" :"They'll settle into the new Clans. No cat will know but Rockclaw." :"You shouldn't trust that," the black she-cat mewed dryly. :"Shadow," the wiry brown cat snapped. "Rockclaw, like all other cats, knows not to disobey us." :The ginger tom nodded. "Wind is right," he announced. :Shadow huffed but didn't reply. :River desperately wanted to ask the ginger tom for help, but he knew it was his own Clan, which meant his responsibility. :"StarClan, help me," he whispered, forgetting he was there himself. :The ginger tom padded to sit next to River. :"Thunder," River sighed, "you need to help me." :Thunder shook his head gently and padded away, leaving River alone, surrounded only by the mist of the waterfall. :River pushed from the ferns, interrupting an important conversation between a gray tom and a silvery-gray she-cat. :"Thank you, Mistystar," the gray tom whispered, dismissing her. :Mistystar's eyes widened. "River," she breathed. :River nodded. "Yes," he murmured. "I must speak with Rockclaw, and alone, please," he added. :Mistystar nodded respectfully and padded away. :River looked after her and turned back to Rockclaw, who was staring in awe. :River was used to this. :"River... why are you visiting me?" the gray tom asked, his gray eyes shining. :"Because I need to," River replied gently. :Rockclaw looked less excited. "What's wrong?" :"There's a prophecy," River told him. The fur on the back of his neck stood up from thinking about it. :Rockclaw stiffened. "I wasn't trained to interpret them, River," he mewed darkly. :River shrugged. "This is an easy one." He repeated the words in the tone that he had adapted for repeating prophecies, and watched in dismay as Rockclaw's eyes widened. :"No," Rockclaw hissed. "They're best friends, not to mention sisters." :"I'm sorry," River mumbled. He let himself fade from Rockclaw's dream, sending him back to the Moonpool. :Rockclaw heard the wail of pain and jolted from his sleep. He had been dreaming of omens again- a vast body of water, bigger than the lake, and a cliff that the water smashed against. :But now, as he heard Pebbletail's wail, he was shaking. Now the prophecy would begin. :"Rockclaw?" a voice asked gently from the mouth of the den. :Rockclaw looked up to see Reedfur- a warrior and the father of Pebbletail's kits- standing, looking worried. "Is something wrong?" the warrior asked gently. :Rockclaw shook his head. "No," he mumbled. "It's just... really chilly in here." :Reedfur nodded. "Pebbletail's kitting," he mewed. :Rockclaw stood and followed Reedfur to the nursery, where he could see Pebbletail's figure thrashing on the ground as another queen tried to calm her down. :"Reedfur," Rockclaw called, "wait." :Reedfur stopped just outside the nursery. :"I'm sure your kits are the ones in the prophecy," Rockclaw whispered. :"Prophecy?" Reedfur echoed. "I've only heard of those in the legends." :Rockclaw nodded. "All I can say is, one of your kits is in mortal danger." :"Oceankit," Pebbletail cooed, pointing to the gray she-cat in front of her. :Reedfur's voice shook as he named the next kit. "Skykit." He pointed- although he didn't need to- at the fluffy white she-cat next to Oceankit. :Pebbletail licked Reedfur's ear. "Your senior warrior ceremony is tomorrow." :Reedfur remembered watching Pebbletail's with dismay, jealousy surging through him, and even more when he realized he would have to wait three more moons. :"Stonestar's doing you a real favor by doing it a half-moon early," Pebbletail reminded him gently. :"We need more senior warriors to train the apprentices," Reedfur retorted. :Pebbletail reached up, trying not to disengage the suckling she-kits, and licked Reedfur's cheek. "I love you," she whispered. "I know you'll be great." :Reedfur could not help purring despite himself. "I'll be great for you," he replied. :"There you go," Pebbletail murmured. "Now, go, get some sleep. The kits will be waiting for you in the morning." :Reedur nodded and slipped out of the nursery and padded back to the warrior's den. He could see the sleeping figures of Mistfur and Grassfur pressing against each other, and Reedfur purred as he reminded himself it wasn't just from the cold. :He laid down in his own nest- somebody had put feathers in it in recognition of his kits- and closed his eyes. :His troubles were waiting. Chapter 1 :Oceankit blinked her eyes open as some cat yowled, "Reedtail!" :She saw her father pad past the entrance just as her legs collapsed beneath her. :"Got you!" Skykit cooed happily. :Oceankit purred as she stood up. "Good one," she purred. :A senior warrior, Yewfoot, was teaching the two kits more advanced battle moves in her spare time. Skykit was learning faster, and liked to sneak up on Oceankit and surprise her. :Skykit growled playfully, but Oceankit wasn't in the mood today. "Shh," she whispered. "I think Reedtail's done something wrong." :Skykit stood and peered from the nursery with her sister. :Indeed, the leader, Stonestar, was speaking sternly to Reedtail, and Reedtail was nodding quickly. :Stonestar saw the two kits and Oceankit pulled her head back in. :"He's coming!" Skykit squeaked, and she dove behind Oceankit. :Stonestar appeared in the entrance of the nursery. "Something wrong?" :Oceankit shook her head boldly, then asked, "What did Reedtail do wrong?" :"An apprentice attacked and took the glory of a battle all to himself," Stonestar replied. "They were Reedtail's apprentice." :"Did Reedtail tell him not to?" Oceankit asked curiously. :"What does it matter?" Stonestar asked. "Rockpaw attacked. It was Reedtail's job to stop him, but Reedtail didn't. That's why he's in trouble." :"What's gonna happen to him?" Skykit asked shakily from behind Oceankit. :"Oh, nothing, he just got a warning," Stonestar replied calmly. :In the distance, Oceankit heard a cat call Stonestar's name. :"That'll be Scalepelt," Stonestar sighed, "with today's WindClan report." He padded away. :"It must be great being leader," Oceankit mewed wistfully. "I'd do anything to be one." As soon as she said it, she knew it was a promise. "I'll do anything," she repeated. :"That's the spirit," Skykit replied. :A shiver ran through Oceankit as she watched the older kits in the nursery, named Lilykit, Redkit, and Robinkit, playfight. She looked wistfully at Skykit, who didn't look at all that she wanted to fight, only to watch. :Oceankit looked back at the three other kits and saw Redkit and Robinkit stop fighting and leap on Lilykit. Lilykit squeaked in protest, and Oceankit felt a feeling rise up in her like a fire in a forest, and felt it spread all the way from her ears to the tip of her tail. She realized that this was anger and protection coming together in a feeling that made her yowl in anger and tackle Robinkit. :She felt Robinkit crumple to his paws underneath her with a cry of surprise and aggression. He struggled, but Oceankit quickly gained the upper paw and pinned him down. :She heard her mother's indignant yowl behind her. "Oceankit! Get off of Robinkit!" :Oceankit obeyed, shame burning through her, replacing the anger and protection from earlier. "Robinkit and Redkit were attacking Lilykit unfairly! I was just trying to help out." :Skykit shook her head and went to stand beside her mother. :"We were playfighting!" Redkit snapped, standing protectively next to his brother, leaving Lilykit squirming around on the ground behind him. :Oceankit looked at her paws, ashamed. She had forgotten in the heat of the moment. :As she looked at her sister, who could help her, she felt a strange and scary feeling shoot through her. She shook it off and turned to Robinkit. "I'm sorry," she mewed. She looked at Lilykit. "I hope I made it easier for you to beat Redkit," she joked halfheartedly. :Lilykit nodded, her amber eyes looking shadowed and protective. She walked to stand next on the other side of Robinkit. :Oceankit nodded and padded back towards Pebbletail and Skykit. :"Time for your nap!" Pebbletail mewed cheerfully, turning back to the nursery. :"But Pebbletail, we're three moons!" Oceankit protested without thinking. :Pebbletail only glared at her, leading Skykit through the small tunnel that marked the beginnings of new, wonderful scents of kits. :Oceankit curled up next to her sister in the nest they shared and shut her eyes, anger and resentment flowing through her. :I'm not really sorry, she thought. Chapter 2 :Skykit woke to the familiar surroundings of the nursery. She felt warm and comfy, but not as warm and comfy as usual. :She searched for the reason. Was it getting colder? No, it was newleaf. :She turned around to ask Oceankit and realized that her sister wasn't there. She didn't hear the soft breath of three other kits, either. :She stood up and looked outside. She instantly spotted her sister chatting with Cloudblaze, a deputy along with Scalepelt. Next to Cloudblaze was his mate, Streamclaw, and her apprentice, Dawnpaw. :Cloudblaze shooed away Oceankit, who turned away reluctantly and padded back to the nursery. :She stopped when she saw Skykit. "Cloudblaze says he has to organize the patrols on the ShadowClan border," she mewed. :"Leave him be," Skykit purred, flicking her sister's nose with her tail. "He's a deputy, that means he's too important to be bothered by kits." :Oceankit shrugged and nodded. "I wouldn't be," she added. :Skykit shrugged and watched the entrance of the camp. She saw a senior warrior, Icefang, leading her apprentice, Mosspaw, and two warriors, Goldenfur and Wetfur, out of the camp on a patrol. :She longed to follow them and explore, to see the territory like a senior warrior would. :"Three moons left," Oceankit mumbled beside her, her eyes also on the patrol. :She watched as Wetfur left, and then turned to her sister. "Let's go out of camp," she whispered. :Oceankit's eyes widened, then narrowed. "But... Pebbletail is expecting it!" :The two kits knew that every kit tried unsuccessfully to leave the camp before their sixth moon. They had watched Lilykit, Robinkit, and Redkit get scolded and lectured on the warrior code, and the rules of RiverClan. :"It's too dangerous," Oceankit pressed. :Skykit shrugged and sighed. She saw Creekpaw and Daypaw come out of the apprentice den to meet their mentors, Rivertail and Minnowtail. :Oceankit sighed longingly as the group of four left the camp. :Skykit just looked at the clouds. :"Skykit, Oceankit!" Pebbletail called. :Skykit looked at her mother. She had been throwing a mouse back and forth with her sister, and was panting hard. :"Time to learn about RiverClan," Pebbletail purred. :All kits were required to learn the history of their Clan. Today, Robinkit, Redkit, and Lilykit would be learning it, as well as Skykit and Oceankit. Rockclaw and Stonestar would be there, as well. :Oceankit jumped towards the elder's den with a squeak of excitement. Skykit followed, her heart pounding. What if she forgot, and she had to repeat the story to kits when she was an elder? :The thought pierced her heart like a thorn. :As the two sisters approached Redkit, Robinkit, and Lilykit, Skykit overheard them chanting, "Half a moon left!" :Their mothers led them the rest of the way to the elder's den, where they saw the three elders, Dewstripe, Fallowfern, and Goosetail, laying on their nests. Smokestar sat just behind them, and the two queens sat on either side of them. :The five kits clustered together. Skykit felt Redkit's short fur rub against her thick pelt and shivered with nervousness. :"Today is the day in which you learn the history of RiverClan," Stonestar announced. His commanding voice echoed in Skykit's mind. :"Are your kits ready?" Stonestar asked Pebbletail and Shimmerpelt. :The two queens nodded. :"Goosetail, begin," Stonestar commanded. He settled down. :The frail white tom spoke after long thought. "RiverClan, as you know, is one of four Clans around the lake. The other three are WindClan and ShadowClan, and the third is ThunderClan. :"The Clan's founders were named River, Wind, Shadow, and Thunder. They were chosen by StarClan to get nine lives and create the warrior code as we know it." :Skykit was astonished. She had always imagined the Clans had been around forever, but she didn't realize that some cat had to create them. :"The Clans lived peacefully in what we call the Old Forest for mean moons, many seasons," Goosetail continued. "But then, terrifying creatures named Twolegs drove them out and forced them to make the Great Journey here. They settled in, with one major fight in WindClan, and we have lived here since. :"After a while, the Clans started to fall apart," Goosetail continued. "There were many arguments over tiny things- how old kits should be when they become apprentices, how many medicine cats there should be... until the tension rose too far. The Clans fell, and the leaders then- named Finchstar, Cedarstar, Moss-star, and Galestar- had to create new, stricter Clans." :"Was there blood?" Redkit asked loudly. :Dewstripe purred. "Yes, little one, there was." :Fallowfern took over the story. "They agreed to have a strict difference between warriors and senior warriors, as then there was none. They also agreed to have two deputies, as they would provide more protection to the leader." :Skykit looked at Oceankit, whose eyes were wide and awed. :"The leaders announced their new rules to the Clan cats, and the Clan cats agreed to refound the Clans. :"But Cedarstar, the leader of ShadowClan, had a different idea. He became corrupt and tried to take over the other Clans, but was unsuccessful in his attempt. His two deputies overthrew him and peace was restored." :Redkit had pressed closer to Skykit in his astonishment, but now he leaned away from her. :Rockclaw appeared in the doorway, suddenly, his gray eyes wild and fearful. :"What's wrong?" Stonestar asked. :"One of these cats will succeed you," Rockclaw breathed. "And two will die." Chapter 3 :Oceankit settled beside her sister for the ceremonies, which occurred once a moon. :Today there were three kits becoming apprentices, and three apprentices becoming warriors. :She watched Robinkit prance around his siblings happily as jealously surged through her. She wanted the freedom of an apprentice to be hers. :"Stop squirming," Skykit whispered. "Stonestar's starting." :"Daypaw, Stonepaw, and Brookpaw, please come forward," Stonestar called from his place on a stump. :The three apprentices obeyed. Oceankit watched, trying not to squirm. :"These three apprentices have learned the ways of the Clans, and are ready to become warriors," Stonestar mewed. "They will learn to become valuable members of RiverClan while learning to protect it." :Daypaw, Stonepaw, and Brookpaw all squirmed, waiting for the end of the ceremonies. :"Daypaw, Stonepaw, Brookpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect this Clan, even if it means your life?" Stonestar asked. :"I do," the three cats chorused. :"From this moment on, until you receive your full name, you will be known as Dayfur, Stonefur, and Brookfur." :Next to Oceankit, Skykit chanted the new names with the rest of the Clan. Oceankit flattened her ears and stayed silent. :"Robinkit, Redkit, Lilykit," Stonestar called, switching to the next ceremony. :Oceankit watched as the three kits bounced forward, eyes gleaming. She noticed Robinkit's blue eyes shine brighter than the other two. :"Redkit," Stonestar began, "from this moment on, until you become a warrior, you will be known as Redpaw. You will be mentored by Bluepelt." :Redpaw's littermates nudged him before Stonestar called Robinkit forward. :Oceankit watched as he became Robinpaw and was given to Minnowtail. Lilykit became Lilypaw not soon after and was given to Featherpelt. :Oceankit had never felt further from freedom. :The moon shone bright over her head as Oceankit crept from the nursery. She had been planning this night for a moon, as she watched Redpaw, Robinpaw, and Lilypaw settle into apprenticeship. Tomorrow was the ceremonies, but she knew she had to sit back and watch once again. :She wanted a head start. :She was going to leave the camp tonight. :She knew how: sneak out from behind the nursery. She had been loosening the wall all moon, any chance she got. :She lowered herself and practiced the strokes that she was taught to stalk a mouse. :Almost out, she thought. :She felt jaws grip her tail. "What are you doing?" a voice asked. :Oceankit pushed herself back out as she jerked her tail away from the teeth. :"Skykit!" she breathed. "Robinpaw!" :Robinpaw had been the one grabbing her tail. "You're not a very quiet hunter," he grumbled. :Oceankit looked desperately at her sister. :Skykit only asked, "Why are you so desperate to escape? And why don't you tell me anything?" :Oceankit looked at Robinpaw for help, but Robinpaw only told her, "I agree with Skykit." :Oceankit felt a sinking feeling. She was trapped. :"Just go to sleep," Robinpaw muttered. "And don't leave camp. You're lucky I don't tell Stonestar." He padded away. :Skykit just shook her head and padded back to the nursery. :Oceankit was alone. Chapter 4 :Rockclaw finished applying the poultice on Oceankit's fur. He had no idea how the blue-gray kit had gotten the multiple small scratches, and he didn't want to know. :All he knew was that she and her sister were in mortal danger. They had already started showing the traits of the prophecy- Oceankit, rebellious and strong, Skykit, hesitant but smart. Both had a destiny, both were forbidden to find out. :Rockclaw repeated the words that River had told him five moons before in his head. They echoed like they did every time he thought about it, and he shivered, like he always did. :Oceankit nodded at Rockclaw. "Thank you," she mewed graciously. :Rockclaw nodded at her and motioned for her to follow him. Time for a small test. :Oceankit obediently followed, her shoulders tense. She obviously knew what was coming. :"All apprentices have to know about herbs as well as fighting moves," Rockclaw reminded her. "So you're going to learn anyway." :Oceankit only grunted. :Rockclaw held up a dock leaf. "What is this?" he quizzed. :"Dock," Oceankit answered promptly. :Rockclaw held up a poppy seed. :"A poppy seed." :"Marigold." :"Cobwebs, do you think I'm stupid?" :Rockclaw laughed and gingerly set down the cobwebs. "You know a lot of common herbs, Oceankit," he mewed slowly. :"I get scratches a lot," Oceankit growled in reply. "I don't want to be a stupid medicine cat, I want to be a leader, she snapped. With that she left without another word. Chapter 5